(36
CONFIDENTIAL
4th Floor Clive House Petty France Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AHZ
Telephone 01-
HKK Jus/soal1
345
hr Qgüll
Etualpa fals
21/11
Miss E B W Luke HANOJ
ہ
ملة
Your reference
Our reference GVV 341/393/1
Date 11 November 1977
See 148
HONG KONG VISAS FOR EAST EUROPEANS
Thank you for sending us copies of your letters 348/1 of 14 and 20 October to Hong Kong.
1.
2. We had also checked on files, and saw that Kover obtained a visa in 1976, but have no record of his having obtained one previously.
3. We have no record of Colonel Rusu ever having been granted a Hong Kong visa. An East European official's application for a Hong Kong visa is referred to long Kong (and us)wherever it is made, so he would gain no advantage by applying "through Bucharest".
The reasons for Hong Kong's policy on the admission of nationals of Communist countries were set out at some length in Circular '0' 14/74, a copy of which I enclose. You will see that in it Hong kong say they will take into account representations from Heads of Missions; and that they appreciate that the policy may sometimes be difficult to justify.
5. It seems very likely that it is the policy's effectiveness which is leading to this pressure for its relaxation. East European officials are frequently making complaints about our visa requirements, and do not hesitate to fortify these with false statements. They of course know very well why we and other Western countries find it necessary to be on our guard, and are fully aware that it is not you or the Embassy in Hanoi which causes them difficulty. You need not fear any misapprehension on their part, and I suggest you ignore these attempts to needle you.
6. We also suggest that any future correspondence on this subject be sent under classified cover.
D W Berry
Migration & Visa Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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